The Perilous Deep: A Supernatural History of the Atlantic by Karl Bell

Reaktion Books, 2025

ISBN-13: 978-1836390909

Available: Hardcover, Kindle edition

Buy:  Bookshop.org | Amazon.com

Mythology, poetry, and novels have long been our gateway to the dangerous and deadly creatures found in the mysteriously supernatural realm of the sea. In this new history, Karl Bell presents an exhaustively researched treasure trove of information that includes references to well-known mythological and traditional sea stories, a review of decades old newspaper articles about unusual events or sightings, and a collection of recorded folk knowledge of the coastal and seafaring people of the past. Several pieces of full color art illustrate the text.

Bell organizes the book by story type and the ways in which the story elements were passed on through generations. He emphasizes how, throughout history, mariners interpreted these sea stories as omens of danger, indications of divine intervention, and evidence of supernatural activity in the world. The stories in The Perilous Deep are not told at length, but Bell does analyze the patterns he finds and their significance.

This book is an excellent way to create your own list in order to read more complete versions of the stories or to find out what creatures you can learn more about through literature or art. Bell’s scholarly tone and list-like development of his subject are not as entertaining as a more narrative approach might be: nevertheless, Bell’s references, cited by chapter at the end of the book, are a gold mine for those who would enjoy charting their own way through the perils of the Atlantic. Recommended.

Reviewed by Nova Hadley